I am currently sanding an old maple dresser (for my daughter) , in order to "refinish" it. I have sanded it to 220 grit. It used to have a medium brown finish on it originally that I dont care for.

I was thinking of using Deftoil clear as the top coat since I have a couple of gallons of it and I like the easy way it goes on (unless you think that this is a really bad idea). My question is whether or not to stain the maple- what kind of stain will work on the maple? Is it necessary to seal it with lacquer first. I would like a reddish looking stain I think (or maybe leave it unstained). Any advice on your experiences are appreciated. I realize this is very subjective.

Also opinions on how maple would look with just Deftoil clear?

Thanks in advance

Vijay